continuing with Venice.....
The following morning we set out to Piazza San Marco, considered the center of attraction of the city and a landmark that many of us associate with Venice. The square is impressive and magnificent in its architectural details. Even more inspiring was the Basilica di San Marco, a majestic sight that in my opinion represents Venetian artistic genius at its best. How can one not marvel at the opulent details of this Byzantine church? I have seen bigger and more imposing churches, but to me none can surpass the beauty of this one. The colors, size and details seem to blend harmoniously to create this glorious sight. This will definitely be the highlight of my visit to Venice.
Roaming through the back streets of the Piazza I was seduced by the smells of food emanating from food stands and restaurants so I decided to venture into a local place to sample some fritto misto. I started with a delectable seafood antipasto consisting of octopus, sardines in a sour sauce, shrimps, squid and mussels. The freshness of the seafood was evident in the slight sweetness of the first bite. The fritto was lightly battered without any oiliness and the chunks of fish were succulent and meaty. Appreciation of Italian cuisine begins with the understanding of its simplicity to exalt the best of nature where freshness plays a critical role in its preparation.
It’s hard not to be seduced by the surroundings of this city. Once you distance yourself from the Grand Canal and the tourist-plagued attractions, you discover winding sidewalks, hidden canals and quaint piazzas that beckon you to stay. The concept of ambience is closely linked to Venice where part of the magic is seen by its reflection on its water. This mood is also evident on its paintings. Venetian painters have always produced more dramatic and vivid works than their other contemporaries. For example, when I look at The Tempest by Giorgione, the ominous surroundings seem to take more precedence than the story or its characters.
The day we left Venice it was cloudy and snow started to descend. I was sorry to miss this spectacle that would have shown me a different aspect of the city. Snow on Venice would have made an interesting photographic theme. Oh well, that will give me an excuse to come back next time. On my way to the airport I had mixed feelings. The realization of the end of my Venetian visit brought me sadness but on the other hand the anticipation of going to Paris excited me.
Once at the airport (around 12:15p), we checked-in with AF and learned that our 1p something flight has been delayed (my apologies for the sketchy details, but it’s been some time) and would not have a conclusive answer until the plane arrives from Paris. Today was the day that CDG experienced a horrible snowstorm and the whole AF ops went crazy. Finally we received word that the flight will arrive and they were anticipating a dept of around 3p. We were given boarding passes and were walking towards Immigration when the AF agent found us and escorted us back to the counter to be rebooked on the earlier flight that was also delayed and now was departing closer to our original time of 1p. We were rebooked and when we checked for the gate of our flight, I noticed that our original flight at 3p has been canceled. It’s a good thing that we were protected on this earlier flight.
Since we were in Business, we were allowed into AZ’s Tintoretto lounge, which was quite comfy. It was divided into 2 rooms with a middle hallway where the drinks and snacks were located. There was 1 internet computer available and the lounge was not crowded. AZ has a good assortment of snacks including chips, cheese balls, cookies from the Alisnack boxes and other salty stuff. There was only 1 attendant at the desk and no announcements were made. However, the lounge has a nice view of the jet bridge and I took the opportunity to take pics of a DL 767 bound for NY.
We then headed downstairs to the gates and to our surprise we were bussed to a remote area to board our AF flight. This was a City Jet plane and not a true AF so I was a bit disappointed. Our original flight was an A320.
AF 1127
VCE-CDG
BA145? 
– Seat 3F
Boarding was thru stairs and FA’s were welcoming passengers onboard. The crew was AF (all female, young and stylish) but the pilots were City Jet. Seating was 2x2 (actually 3x3 but in J the middle seat is blocked) and there were 3 FA’s today. We stayed put for a good 30 min. awaiting instructions from CDG so passengers were getting anxious. Some of them came to the front and just vented out to the chief purser. The FA’s did whatever they could explaining that the situation at CDG was a mess and they were restricting inbound arrivals. Finally the pilot came on the speaker and briefed us on the situation. At this point, FA’s started to do a water service to appease the customers. Another 25 min. passed and we finally received clearance to take off. But first, de-icing needed to be done since the wings have accumulated some snow already.
Take off was uneventful and once we reached cruising altitude, the chief purser started taking drinks orders and delivering small plastic trays with 1 open faced smoked salmon sandwich on buttered toast crowned by a tiny lemon wedge and 1 cream pastry dotted w/berries on top. Let’s not forget the small piece of gianduja chocolate. For some reason I was having higher expectations for an AF J service. I wonder if switching to a City Jet flight instead of a regular AF plane knocked the level down by a notch. By the way, glasses and utensils were plastic, but there was a curtain separating Business from Coach.
Paris, here I come…